Your PC Blu-ray drive can now rip GameCube and Xbox games

Developer RibShark has released OmniDrive, a custom firmware modification that allows standard PC Blu-ray drives to read proprietary game discs from consoles like the GameCube, Wii, and Xbox. The firmware targets MediaTek MT1959-based optical drives manufactured by Hitachi-LG Data Storage. This is a massive shift for game preservationists who previously relied on a patchwork of different methods for different consoles.

Backing up physical console games used to require maintaining aging, highly specialized hardware. Dumping a GameCube disc usually meant running homebrew software on a modified Nintendo Wii and saving the data to an SD card. Ripping an original Xbox game required tracking down an old Samsung or LG DVD drive and flashing it with Kreon firmware just to see the hidden data partition. Now, the open-source OmniDrive project turns modern, off-the-shelf PC hardware into a universal backup tool.

You might already own the hardware

The firmware runs on drives using the MT1959 chipset. This includes popular half-height desktop models like the ASUS BW-16D1HT and slim laptop-style drives like the LG BU40N. Many PC builders already have these exact ASUS or LG drives installed in their desktop towers, as they have been the go-to recommendation for ripping 4K movie discs for years.

Older drives based on Pioneer hardware will not work.

The modification bypasses original hardware restrictions to enable raw sector reading. Standard CDs read at 2352 bytes per sector. DVDs pull 2064 bytes and Blu-rays pull 2072 bytes. The firmware also adds support for Force Unit Access. Optical drives normally use an internal cache to speed up data delivery. When a dumping program asks to re-read a scratched sector, a standard drive often just returns the cached bad read instead of checking the physical disc again. Force Unit Access bypasses this cache entirely. The drive has to physically re-read the disc, which is vital for getting perfect copies of damaged media.

From Xbox to Wii U

The firmware handles a massive chunk of console history. Microsoft used a dual-layer DVD format for the original Xbox where the video partition was readable by PCs, but the actual game data was hidden. OmniDrive can jump straight to that hidden layer. It supports Xbox XGD1 discs, Xbox 360 XGD2 and XGD3 formats, and Xbox One media.

Nintendo's optical media is also fully supported. GameCube and Wii discs use a proprietary format that standard PC drives physically cannot understand. OmniDrive reads them natively. It even reads encrypted Wii U discs, though the scrambling algorithm remains a hurdle for full raw extraction.

PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 discs are readable. The disc contents remain encrypted, and the disc keys cannot be retrieved using this method.

Replacing the JB8 firmware

The preservation community has already adopted the new tool. The Redump preservation group now highly recommends OmniDrive over the older modified JB8 firmware that the community used since 2022. Redump is a disc preservation database that tracks exact 1:1 copies of video games. Their endorsement means OmniDrive produces dumps accurate enough for strict archival standards.

The Redump Wiki outlines the exact flashing instructions for Windows and Linux users.

Flashing optical drive firmware always carries a slight risk of turning a piece of hardware into a useless brick. The process requires exact stock firmware files and a bit of command-line comfort. Still, it beats maintaining a closet full of dying DVD drives from 2006 just to back up a copy of Blinx: The Time Sweeper.

Source: OmniDrive Firmware Made My Blu-ray Drives 10x Better! - Full Tutorial